Mapping the Psyche

An Introduction to Psychological Astrology, by Clare Martin

Aries

Cardinal Fire

Ruler: Mars

Exaltation: Sun

Detriment: Venus

Fall: Saturn

Each of the elements becomes progressively more 'mature' in
the order of the zodiac signs. For example, the first fire sign of
Aries is cardinal, a very primal force. The second fire sign is fixed;
Leo is a calmer, steadier expression of fire. The third fire sign is
mutable, Sagittarius, reaching outwards and beyond to find meaning
through exploration of the wider spectrum, the broader picture.

Aries is the infant of the zodiac - the sign of the
spring equinox and of all new beginnings. It is an extremely straightforward
and uncomplicated sign, pure naïve energy and courage. Ruled by Mars,
Aries is forceful, instinctive and immediate - when they want something,
they want it now. Aries rules the head and leads with the head, often
literally walking head first, leaning forwards for speed and focus.
Aries can be associated with head-butting, but also with leading intellectually.
In common with all the fire signs, Aries can appear to trample on other
people's feelings and sensitivities without even noticing, but there
is nothing devious or malicious about the sign. It is too primal and
spontaneous for that. If they have hurt someone they will be surprised;
it is just that they don't instinctively consider other people's feelings.
There is not a great deal of subtlety with Aries, they are very black
and white, either/or.

Planets in Aries do not suffer from doubt because,
as the pure primal subjective energy of the first sign of the zodiac,
nothing else and nobody else exists outside their vision, their goal
and their quest. Naturally, there are many people who find all this
single-minded focus and determination rather brutal and selfish. But,
like all fire signs, Aries is gripped by a heroic vision. They need
a challenge or a battlefield in which there is everything to play for,
and no time to wait.

Audience: I don't know if you have seen the film Troy,
but there is a moment when Achilles decides to fight on the Greek side
against Troy, and he and his men join the thousand ships sailing towards
Troy. But he does it on his own terms and must be the first to reach
the shore and to engage in battle.

Clare: Yes, this is an excellent example of pure Aries energy - foolhardy,
heroic and goal-oriented. And of course Achilles was chasing immortality - he
didn't care whether or not he was killed. Nor did he care whether the
Greeks or the Trojans won the war at the end of the day. This was irrelevant
to his own personal quest. What was important was that he achieved
his immortality, established a mythic identity for himself. And here
we are thousands of years later talking about him, so it must have
worked.

The Greek myths are full of good examples of heroic
Aries figures. For example, Jason, who led the Argonauts on the quest
for the Golden Fleece, Theseus who led his men to Crete and overcame
the Minotaur, Perseus, whose quest involved the rescue of Andromeda,
chained to the rocks as a sacrifice to Poseidon. All these heroes are
instinctive leaders, goal-oriented, daring and brave. No matter how
foolhardy, there is always something noble about the venture, the quest
and the vision. There are codes of honour and chivalry attached, which,
in the case of Aries, often involve the rescuing of a damsel in distress
along the way.

Audience: What about Robin Hood? He sounds like an Aries character.

Clare: Exactly. All the components are there. He was a natural
and instinctive leader of his band of outlaws, and he had a noble vision
to steal from the rich and give to the poor. This was his quest - very
simple and effective. And of course the maiden in distress in this
case was Maid Marion. Joan of Arc is a female example of the Aries
personality. God spoke to her, which is perfectly possible if you are
a fire sign. From the moment she was given her quest she was ablaze
with determination to lead the French to victory against the English
and to rescue the French dauphin.

Audience: And eventually she was burned at the stake.

Clare: Exactly, and she also became immortal to the extent
that she is still a symbol of the female warrior hundreds of years
later.

Planets in Aries

David has both the Sun and Jupiter in Aries. Let's
have a look at that. As I mentioned before, the Sun is always one of
the hardest planets to interpret, since it has so many levels of interpretation
and is, ultimately, the experience of personal integrity and authenticity
as well as our connection to our spiritual identity and purpose. On
a personal level, the Sun in Aries will describe David's impression
of his father, who normally carries the archetypal projection of the
Sun in our youth, before we are mature enough to integrate it for ourselves.
David will identify with all the qualities of Aries which we have already
noted. He will be competitive, goal-oriented and impatient, and will
need to choose and follow his own path. He will have that quality of
honour and nobility which is a feature of all the fire signs.

Ultimately, since the Sun describes the mature centre
of David's being and of his identity, I have found that a useful psychological
approach is to focus on the conscious integration of the qualities
of the Sun's opposite sign and on the development of the planets which
are traditionally in their detriment and fall in the Sun's sign. A
more measured, mature expression of the Aries Sun will be the balancing
of his own will and instinctive, hot-headed subjectivity with a genuine
consideration for, and sensitivity to, the needs of others, so that
he comes to fight not just for himself but for the broader values of
justice, peace and harmony (Libra). This will bring Venus (ruler of
Libra) into a creative relationship with Mars (ruler of Aries), and
the maturity and nobility of the Sun will provide Aries with the wisdom,
integrity and authority to be a good and noble leader.

As far as Jupiter in Aries is concerned, a useful
shorthand technique is to think of the planet as the 'what', and the
sign it falls in as the 'how'. So, in this case we know that Jupiter
is the principle of expansion, faith and optimism. It tells us what
is meaningful for a particular individual. Jupiter in Aries tells us
that David will believe in self-reliance, self-motivation and goal-orientation,
the more challenging the goal the better, and that he will achieve
a sense of personal meaning, fulfilment and purpose when he engages
in any kind of self-imposed challenge.

Audience: I have Jupiter in Aries and I definitely go along
my own path.

Clare: So we could certainly say that you believe (Jupiter)
in doing your own thing (Aries).

Audience: My brother has the Moon in Aries, and he was the
problem child in the family - always in trouble.

Clare: The Moon is what feeds us and makes us feel safe, so
if we want to know how he gets what he needs, we can see that he will
do this by competing and challenging and fighting in order to assert
his will and his need for autonomy. Literally, we could say that your
brother needs (Moon) to fight (Aries). Naturally, if he is born into
a gentle, peace-loving family, he will become the problem child. If,
on the other hand, he was born into a highly competitive family, this
quality may well be admired and encouraged. It all depends on the
context.

Moon in Aries describes spontaneous emotional responses,
quick reactions, a short fuse and a hot temper. It is instinctively
competitive and needs immediate gratification. Moon in Aries also eats
quickly, as if every meal is a challenge or a race. Meal times can
be the arena for family fights. I have often noticed that people with
Moon in Aries burn off their food quickly and get to the point where
they are suddenly completely empty, drained and must eat now.
In common with all the Fire signs generally, there can be a surprising
lack of stamina. Does that sound like your brother?

Audience: Absolutely! He always finishes his food before anyone
else, and family mealtimes with him around are a nightmare - a real
battleground.

Audience: I have Venus in Aries, but I have always assumed
it doesn't work well there because it is in its detriment.

Clare: This is an important point which illustrates how a
psychological approach differs from a more traditional approach. Venus
describes an individual's values, talents and joys. Placed in Aries,
a psychological interpretation would be that you find joy through expressing
your natural, instinctive urge for leadership, competition and the
achievement of personal goals. This placement indicates a love (Venus)
of the fight (Aries), a valuing (Venus) of strength and determination
and courage (Aries), so, from this point of view, Venus is just as
happy in Aries as in any other sign. The sign simply describes how the
planet will find its best expression. Venus in Aries enjoys the chase
and loves to fight for something. She is competitive in relationships
and values the qualities of courage, determination and leadership in
herself and in others. Venus in Aries is also likely to value her freedom
and autonomy. We could even say that this is a powerful Venus because
she knows what she wants.

"Mapping the Psyche" by Clare Martin is a transcript of the first term
of an introductory course in astrology given for the Centre
for Psychological Astrology. In this first of three volumes,
the basic building blocks of astrological language are presented.
The reader is taken on a fascinating journey through the solar
system, the ancient planetary gods, and the energies and motivations
s ymbolised by their astrological equivalents; and then through
the signs of the zodiac, their elements and qualities, and the
ways in which different planets express through them. Alchemical
symbolism is included as a parallel map of the individual journey.
The book is well-illustrated, and is worthwhile reading for both
the beginner as well as the more advanced astrological student.

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